Scarborough Green Construction Village Officially Opened

Friday, 13 January 2023 10:25

By Matthew Pells

Cllr Steve Siddons, Levelling Up minister Dehenna Davison, Scarborough Town Deal chairman David Kerfoot, founders Graham and Fiona Ratcliffe

Levelling Up minister Dehenna Davison met with apprentices as she officially opened the new site.

Tributes have been paid to Scarborough's Green Construction Skills Village by a visiting government minister.

Dehenna Davison MP visited the site on Thursday to perform the official opening. The Levelling Up Minister said:

"I enjoyed it, It is providing opportunities for young people, and I thank the founders for pulling the project together."

The site has been re-built and transformed to create bespoke training areas for apprentices of all ages across seven trades, which will be expanded to incorporate green skills from spring 2023.

The official opening was attended by apprentices, trades people, partners and supporters and leading stakeholders in the area's regeneration schemes.

Speaking at the gathering held in one of the new business conference rooms, managing director Graham Ratcliffe said:

"I want to say how proud we are of our apprentices and our staff over the past seven years.

"We started out at a site at Middle Deepdale with just two cabins. We moved to this old farm which was in a very poor state, and we have utterly transformed it, using over 80% local tradespeople and their apprentices - and what we have today is a dream that has come true.

"These premises allow us to continue with our core mission is to bring education and industry closer together, supporting trades people and local opportunities."

He thanked the Scarborough Town Deal Board, which allocated more than £500,000 from the government's Levelling Up scheme.

Mr Ratcliffe also thanked MP Robert Goodwill, who was in attendance, as well as Scarborough Borough Council, the York & North Yorkshire Local Enterprise Partnership and North Yorkshire County Council.

David Kerfoot, chairman of Scarborough Town Deal board which was given £21.7m government funding for significant growth-related initiatives, said:

"This is a place that delivers.

"Welcome to the home of delivery - we have eight projects, and this is the first to come home.

"It's a wonderful example of what funding from Whitehall can do."

Borough council leader Cllr Steve Siddons said:

"It is a tribute to Graham and his team over the years that the work of the skills village has created hundreds of apprentices.

"It provides young people - and not-so-young people - the help to get into well-paid careers and skilled employment.

"This is important for the town's success."

The skills village at the former High Eastfield Farm near Musham Bank off the A64 is open to teenagers and students and to any adults or unemployed people or anyone wanting a career change or to upskill.